


Bring Me In From The Cold

by Odds_and_Ends (JannaEnd)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: And Bokuto's driving skills are... nonexistent, Attempt at Humor, Help, How Do I Tag, It's cold outside, M/M, That's it, Tsukishima suffers, that's the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 09:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11145726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JannaEnd/pseuds/Odds_and_Ends
Summary: 'Bring (someone) in from the cold': To allow someone to join or participate in a group from which they were previously excluded; to accept someone into a certain social setting.Tsukishima hopes he's saved from death by hypothermia when Kuroo and his friends offer him a lift, but with Bokuto behind the wheel his chances to survive aren't much better. Will he get home alive?[That was the point where Tsukishima guessed he got the chance to observe pure-blooded idiots in their natural habitat. It was amusing to watch, for a second he even forgot to suffer from the cold. However, the one named Akaashi didn’t seem to share his opinion as he eventually put his hand over the owl-guy’s mouth and pushed him back to his seat.“Kuroo-san, please hurry up, I’d like to roll up the window before I catch a cold” he said after turning back to the other raven.“Okay, okay” he laughed and finally stepped towards the car. But he stopped again, looked back at Tsukishima, and then gave his friends a winning smile. “Can we give him a lift too?”]





	Bring Me In From The Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Heeey! I present you my first Haikyuu fic! The truth is, I didn't write for a while before creating this one, and also English isn't my native language, so mistakes may happen, just a warning. I hope it's still enjoyable!! :)

Well, it wasn’t one of the worst days in Tsukishima’s life, no, he couldn’t say that. But it wasn’t great either.

This Friday too began as every average Friday: he got up around 9 am, glad that he didn’t have classes to attend, had breakfast alone, enjoying the silence. He’s been living together with 3 other guys and that usually meant a lot of noise and annoyance. But on that morning Yamaguchi, who also had free Fridays, was still fast asleep (and Tsukishima didn’t expected him to wake up before half past ten), and Hinata and Kageyama were already gone to classes. So the morning was decent. It stayed on the average level even after Yamaguchi emerged from his bed; he happily chatted away, and Tsukishima listened. Maybe that was the first – although smaller – mistake of the day on his part. Because when the blond boy considered someone worth listening to, he paid all of his attention to them. And Yamaguchi was his best friend since elementary school for crying out loud, so obviously he listened even if the freckled boy was talking about little nothings. How was that a mistake? Tsukishima lost track of time, that’s how. Only when he accidentally glanced at the clock did he realize that he had exactly 8 minutes to catch the bus to get to work. Uncharacteristically rushed he yanked on his boots, and after checking the weather through the window – clear and sunny – he grabbed his lighter coat. That was the second – and the greatest – mistake of the day.

Stepping out of the apartment building the chilly air practically hit Tsukishima in the chest, because shining sun or not it was still the middle of January. But – he reasoned as he ran down the sidewalk – it’s not like he was going to spend more than 15 minutes outside until he got back home, so there was a high chance of survival.

Fortunately he arrived at the little bookshop, where he worked, without any further problem. At this point the day still seemed to be acceptable. His shift supposed to last from 12 until 4 pm, and there weren’t too many customers so Tsukishima mostly just organized the books on the shelves in peace. If someone had asked, he would’ve said he was in a good mood.

His bubble of content got popped around 3 pm, when the co-worker who was supposed to come at 4 called that she won’t be able to make it. Apparently she’d woken up feeling sick, but she hoped it will get better, however, it only turned worse. Tsukishima wasn’t overjoyed, but at the end he agreed to cover the 4 to 8 pm shift too. He didn’t have any plans after all and a little extra money never caused any harm.

Honestly he didn’t think it was a particularly bad day until work ended and he left the little bookshop. But then he regretted all the decisions he made. He regretted not minding the time in the morning, regretted leaving in a rush, regretted taking the lighter coat, regretted not going back for the thicker and warmer one, the bus be damned, and lastly he regretted staying until the evening. Because now it was cold outside, so goddamn cold it hurt. He stuck his fists as deep in his pockets as possible, but his face couldn’t be protected – it felt like thousands of needles would be constantly pressed into the tender skin.

The five-minute walk to the bus stop never felt so long, and when it turned out that he still had to wait ten minutes according to the schedule Tsukishima wanted to cry. The only thing keeping it from happening was the fact that his tears froze in. Thinking positively he reassured himself that he’ll probably survive this only losing his ears and nose to the cold. Okay, maybe a couple of fingers and toes too, but nothing major.

Of course his warm and precious gloves were left in the pockets of the other coat. He wanted to give himself an award for this move, really, something like The Lamest Thing You Did This Fucking Year. So, okay, maybe it wasn’t the worst that could’ve happened to him, but it was frustrating. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 8 was a pretty good day and 5 was average, this one deserved a solid 2.5. Tsukishima felt like giving a 2, but then he remembered the morning was actually enjoyable, hence the plus 0.5.

However, if the bus wasn’t coming in the next couple of seconds, the score might just drop to 0.

It was somewhere around quarter past 8 on a Friday night, but the streets were oddly quiet and empty. Apparently no one was so stupid to go anywhere on foot in this weather, but even the cars were rare. Probably that’s why Tsukishima noticed quite early that someone was walking towards the bus stop. Oh great. What’s better than freezing to death? Easy: freezing to death while awkwardly standing next to a stranger. He didn’t really look at the newcomer, just stole a couple of glances as the male stopped to observe the schedule.

He must’ve been around the same age as him, though he was slightly shorter than Tsukishima (well, duh, he was 190 cm, no surprise here), but well-built, and had incredibly messy ink-black hair. His legs were clad in black combat boots and tight, dark-grey jeans. The black coat he wore didn’t seem to be much warmer than Tsukishima’s, but he also had a thick, knitted, grey scarf wrapped around his neck. Tsukishima hated him for that. When the stranger took out his phone it turned out he also had gloves.

Tsukishima Kei felt utterly envious of an unknown man over a pair of gloves and a scarf, and he wasn’t even ashamed. He could’ve killed for those articles of clothing at the moment. The man’s blood would be warm too, so it wasn’t a bad idea.

“Four more minutes to wait” the male said on a surprisingly pleasant voice. Tsukishima didn’t look at him - he couldn’t look at the scarf one more time, his heart would shatter – just hummed noncommittally. Four more minutes. Only four more minutes. Maybe he can let this man live.

In the uncomfortable silence he slowly shifted his weight from one leg to the other. The cold found its way to his boots and was currently freezing off the circulation in his feet. His toes hurt so badly.

“It’s pretty cold out here, huh?”

Tsukishima should’ve killed the guy after all. If there was something he hated more than awkward silences, it was small talk. But his parents raised their little Kei well, so he just took a deep breath (he felt the air freezing into his lungs), forced a polite smile onto his lips (literally forced, his facial muscles weren’t working properly at this point), and simply answered with a “Yeah, it is.” He dared to hope it was the end of the conversation.

Ha.

“Going out to have a wild night?”

He wanted to give the stranger a pointed look while coldly asking if he was kidding right now. He seriously did. Instead he kept the smile (he was afraid it froze onto his face), and tried to sound like he wasn’t dying inside.

“Do I seem to be someone like that?”

Okay, so maybe there was a little hostility left in his voice, because the black haired man put up his hands in an excusing way, although he also let out a little laughter.

“I just asked. You know, wondering why someone in their right mind would be outside when it’s so goddamn cold.”

Tsukishima observed his face as he talked. The stranger had sharp and straight features but seemed to be open and friendly with the lazy half-smile that always played around his lips. He was actually kind of good-looking, if Tsukishima wanted to be honest. He didn’t, though.

“I’m going home from work” he shrugged and looked away to see if the bus was coming or not.

“Is that so? I’m on my way home too, but I’m coming from a friend. He got sick so I visited him.”

“That’s nice” the blond said, processing the words only a second later. “Not - not that he’s sick, that, like, must be awful” he added embarrassed. “I mean it’s nice from you to look after your friend. I hope he gets better… yeah…” Wow, that was awkward. He was awkward. “Uh… Shouldn’t the bus have come yet?” It was a weak attempt to change the topic, but it worth a shot.

The other took out his phone again and Tsukishima bit the inside of his cheek, because damn did he miss his gloves. His hands were still fisted in his pockets and he was certain he’ll never be able to stretch out his fingers ever again.

“It’s a bit late, but it should arrive any minutes now.”

“Hm.”

Silence fell upon them, and although it felt awkward, Tsukishima wasn’t planning to break it. Like, what the hell could he say anyway? He didn’t even look at the guy just stared at the corner where the bus was supposed to appear. The blond wished it would do a favour and hurry the fuck up, because the soles of his boots wouldn’t be separable from the concrete for much longer.

It didn’t.

Maybe five minutes and three cars passed, but the vehicle they were waiting for never showed up.

“Well, it doesn’t seem to come soon, huh?” the raven didn’t sound particularly annoyed, he just stated the obvious like they weren’t about to freeze to death. However, he did make a little agitated sound after stepping in front of the schedule again. “The next one comes in 20 minutes, if it comes at all.”

The blood would’ve frozen in Tsukishima’s veins, if it wasn’t already. 20 minutes? Holy hell, he could’ve broken off his ears right then and there, but in 20 minutes? He would be dead.

“Oh joy” he muttered, surprised that he was able to open his mouth in the first place.

“Come on, at least you don’t suffer alone.”

The answer to that was only a half-amused snort. Honestly? Tsukishima didn’t feel his feet anymore, his face went numb, his arms were paralyzed and his whole body stiff. The other male’s presence didn’t change the situation either better or worse at this point. He didn’t fucking care. The only think he felt was the cold air creeping down his spine, making him shudder and his teeth clink. Well, he heard that people hallucinate before freezing to death so maybe it was actually a quite good way to pass away.

“Can I hug you?”

The question surprised Tsukishima so much that he turned fully towards the other while taking a step back. Okay, forget “the guy’s presence not changing the situation” part, because he sure as hell wasn’t in condition to run away from a way too touchy-feely stranger.

“You what?!”

“No, wait, I didn’t mean anything weird” maybe it was only because of the street lamps’ unnatural orange light, or the cold, but the raven seemed to blush. “Like it’s not my attempt to rob or harass you! And I don’t plan on murdering you either! I just… you look like someone who needs a hug.”

“I’m fine” Tsukishima declined as cold as the air, still eyeing the other male warily.

“You visibly shuddered.”

“Because I’m freezing, obviously. How could a hug help that?”

“Ever heard of sharing body-heat?” he opened his arms, inviting. “Hurry up before we both die from hypothermia.”

Tsukishima didn’t move. “Call me mean, but I’d rather not share that little heat I still have.”

“Mean. I’m willing to lend you some, however” with an encouraging smile he slowly walked towards the blond. Tsukishima just watched him for a while with eyes wide open. Was he for real? Lord, the guy was creepy as fuck and he couldn’t escape, like, the muscles in his legs weren’t going to function properly, that was sure. Hell, the raven didn’t seem to stop. There was only a step between them when Tsukishima finally yanked one of his hands out of his pocket and pointed at the other warningly.

“Don’t dare to come closer.”

He felt the cold biting into the unprotected skin of his fingers, but at least the guy stopped. And that was all. Tsukishima didn’t know what to do after that, his brain failed to help him out, so they just stood like that for a few seconds. Then the stranger slowly pulled off his gloves, pocketed them, and without breaking eye-contact gently wrapped his warm hands around the other’s cold one.

Tsukishima dropped his gaze to look at their hands. Holy shit. This is what entering heaven must’ve felt. Like life would return to his fingers. He had to supress another shudder, but this time it was because of the pleasant warmth pressing against his skin. Sue him, but he wanted more.

“Still not up to sharing?” the black-haired male asked on a teasing tone. Tsukishima frowned and tried to pull his hand away, because he’d rather lost his fingers than his pride, but his company didn’t let him. “Just give it a try.” Tsukishima stopped struggling, and just watched the other, uncertainty evident on his face. The raven continued, “I’m hugging you, alright? I swear I won’t cause you any harm, and if you feel uncomfortable I let you go in the moment you tell me to. Okay?”

Was it okay to let a complete stranger put his arms around you? Was it okay to do this in the middle of a street, around half past eight in the evening, on a cold winter day when literally no one else was around? Was it _safe_?

Hell no.

Tsukishima nodded anyway.

Because later he might regret this decision, but at that moment he thought he was going to die anyway so fuck it.

After Tsukishima put his hand back in his pocket the raven finally closed the distance between them, wrapped his arms quite tightly around the taller’s torso, pressing their bodies against each other. He even rested his chin on Tsukishima’s shoulder, like they would’ve known each other since ages and it would’ve been the most natural thing to do. Tsukishima, on the other hand, just stood there passively for a few seconds before relaxing a little. He wasn’t a big fan of physical contact in the first place, and liked it even less coming from strangers, but he had to admit, this was kind of good. The guy didn’t seem to go and kill him, and while he was still cold, this goddamn hug really turned the situation a bit more acceptable. At least he could press a part of his face into the thick scarf the raven was wearing – he tried to do that as carefully and imperceptibly as possible, for obvious reasons. He still had a little pride left, thank you very much.

“I don’t hear you protesting, so I guess it’s not that bad, huh?”

Tsukishima would’ve felt embarrassed even if this sentence hadn’t been murmured right into his ear and hot breath hadn’t tickled his neck. He turned his face slightly away – efficiently burying it deeper into the warm material of the scarf.

“Shut up.”

The raven chuckled but did as he was told, so once again they stood there quietly. And for the first time Tsukishima wished he would start up a conversation again, because this wasn’t okay. As long as his mind was occupied with the other’s words he didn’t paid attention to anything else. But in the silence he couldn’t help but notice how firm the man’s body was. He must’ve had nice muscles under those multiple layers of clothes. And he also smelt good.

Not that Tsukishima cared.

But he didn’t want these thoughts either.

A car went past them, yanking him back to the present, making him aware of this weird situation he was in. Anyone who might saw them would get the wrong idea. Well, not entirely, because Tsukishima _was_ into guys, but still. He didn’t want to be judged. And what if an acquaintance saw him? Oh man, all the explanation it would take…

Maybe it would be better to freeze to the bone.

Still, he didn’t move away. He didn’t tell the black-haired man to let him go. Only the heavens know why, but he stayed right where he was, leaning against a stranger (could he really call him a stranger at this point?), face partly hidden in his scarf, listening to his own and the other’s breathing and the faint noises of the city.

He heard another vehicle, but it went probably in the other direction, because the sound seemed to come from further and further. For a second the raven held Tsukishima tighter and lifted his chin from his shoulder as he perked up.

“Could it be…?”

“The bus?” the blond suddenly remembered why they were actually standing there in the cold, and began to turn around hopefully, to look at what the other was seeing. Then he realized that it was technically impossible – well, better said, couldn’t be done with those strong arms still wrapped around him.

“Nah, something even better, if we’re lucky. Just wait a minute!”

Tsukishima couldn’t consider himself lucky, no matter how hard he tried, especially after the raven released him and stepped a bit back to grab his phone. He felt the freezing air with full force again, and he wanted the man’s warmth back, but of course it was a secret that was going to die with him.

Meanwhile the other called someone.

“Hey Bo!... Oh, Akaashi, it’s you… He’s driving? Then it’s possible that I saw you guys turning right at the lamps by the ugly green building?... Yeah I’m here at the bus stop. You know, in front of that terrible café… Yes, yes. Do you mind coming back and saving a dear friend from hypothermia?... I know you love me… You’re an angel! Thanks! I’m waiting!”

After ending the call he pocketed the phone with a huge grin on his face.

“God exists.”

Tsukishima smiled back as much as he could. So the raven managed to get someone to pick him up, which was nice, really. It only meant that Tsukishima could die alone in peace. Great. He didn’t need company anyway. He didn’t like people in the first place. It was totally alright.

That weird feeling in his stomach which was quite similar to disappointment was only the first symptom of life slowly leaving his body.

Or so he hoped.

Because he wasn’t actually disappointed. Right?

After two minutes an old, white Suzuki appeared on the street, obviously going way faster than allowed before stopping in front of them with loud creaking. Not only Tsukishima but the other man also stared at the vehicle with wide eyes, completely motionless. Then the window by the passenger seat rolled down, revealing a calm face framed by black hair.

“Are you going to get in the car, or have you already frozen to a statue?” the male’s voice was quiet, barely audible over the rumbling of the car.

“Nah, I’m okay” the raven grinned but didn’t move an inch. “I just realized what you said earlier. Why is Bokuto driving?”

Tsukishima was sure he heard someone – probably the other man at the wheel – saying “Got a problem, bro?”, before the calm-faced guy answered.

“The traffic is pretty light, so I thought I let him live a little. He has a license after all.”

“What the hell, Akaashi? I know you’re not good at making decisions when it comes to him, but this worries even me.”

The man – Akaashi – opened his mouth to retort, but suddenly a hand shoved him aside, and another face appeared as the other guy leaned over from the driver’s seat. His round, golden eyes and spiked up, black-and-grey hair reminded Tsukishima of an owl.

“Stop insulting us and get in the car, before I decide to leave you here to die, you moron” despite his words there was a huge grin on his face, and he talked so loud it wasn’t a surprise that the raven sitting next to him rubbed his ear with a slight frown.

The third guy still didn’t moved to get into the Suzuki, just put his hand on his chest and gasped, eyes wide in fake shock. “You wouldn’t!”

“Try me!”

That was the point where Tsukishima guessed he got the chance to observe pure-blooded idiots in their natural habitat. It was amusing to watch, for a second he even forgot to suffer from the cold. However, the one named Akaashi didn’t seem to share his opinion as he eventually put his hand over the owl-guy’s mouth and pushed him back to his seat.

“Kuroo-san, please hurry up, I’d like to roll up the window before I catch a cold” he said after turning back to the other raven.

“Okay, okay” he laughed and finally stepped towards the car. But he stopped again, looked back at Tsukishima, and then gave his friends a winning smile. “Can we give him a lift too?”

The blond stared at the messy-haired male, then glanced at Akaashi and saw the same surprise he felt mirrored on that pretty face. A moment later his mouth caught up with his brain.

“Ah, no, that’s not necessary, I’m okay…”

It was a big lie though, he was frozen to the bone, but he didn’t want to cause any inconvenience.

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know” Kuroo shrugged nonchalantly. “Just a nice guy who’s been suffering with me in the past twenty minutes or so.”

“And where should we take him?”

“Uh…”

Both men looked at Tsukishima questioningly. He considered declining the offer again for a second, but he couldn’t really resist the promise of a warm and comfortable car-ride anymore. So he told them he lived near the railway-station. Akaashi turned to the driver, who grinned excitedly.

“We take the long way home! I hope the streets are ready for me, hey-hey-hey!”

The raven’s face turned expressionless and he breathed out a hollow “Hurray” before rolling up the window. Kuroo flashed a smile at Tsukishima as he opened the door.

“Get in!”

Sitting on the backseat of the car, finally protected from the freezing temperatures, Tsukishima wanted to thank any deity who was willing to listen. Of course he realized in the first seconds that these guys who saved him weren’t the most normal people walking on this planet, but they helped him none the less, and he wasn’t going to complain. He lived with Hinata and Kageyama, there was almost nothing that could surprise him anymore anyway.

“Seatbelts fastened?” Akaashi asked and waited until both Kuroo and Tsukishima confirmed it. He let out a deep breath. “Okay, then we can go. Please don’t do anything stupid this time, Bokuto.”

Before Tsukishima could wonder about why both of the ravens were so cautious about letting the third male drive, Bokuto slammed his feet down on the gas pedal. He obviously didn’t know about the concept of speed limit. Or anything else related to traffic, Tsukishima added in mind as he silently began to pray for their lives after taking the first bend.

“Bo, I’m not saying this for you or myself,” Kuroo spoke after passing another car “but for our precious Akaashi, and for this poor guy who doesn’t even know us. Please slow down a little bit.”

To everyone’s greatest horror Bokuto looked away from the road and into the rear-view mirror to make eye-contact with Kuroo.

“You’re no fun bro. It’s a thing hearing this from Akaashi, but now I feel betrayed. Like, have a little faith in me, will you? What the hell could happen anyway?”

“We’ll crash into it!!!” Akaashi grabbed his arm with a sudden yell, steering his attention back ahead. And really: they were approaching a car standing by the red light with a terrifying speed. Their hearts skipped a beat, breath caught in their throats, and for a second nothing else but the brake’s scream could be heard.

When they finally stopped there wasn’t even an inch between the two cars. The four boys sat in utter silence, bodies tense, and eyes as big as saucers. It was Bokuto who broke the spell in the end.

“See? Nothing happened. I can handle it.”

He sounded confident, but his knuckles turned white because he gripped the wheel so tightly. Akaashi went completely limp with a groan and dry-washed his face with both hands, at the same time Kuroo mumbled “You’re crazy” with laughter in his voice. Tsukishima let out a long, deep breath and closed his eyes. Just let him get home safe and sound, in one piece. That’s all he asked for.

He sensed the car moving again under him, indicating that the lights turned green.

“If you go even slightly faster than allowed, I swear to everything saint and holy, I’ll open the door and jump out.”

“Akaa-”

“I’m serious.”

“Aghkaaasheee…”

“No, Bo, I won’t just sit here and let you kill all of us.”

“But Awkhaash-”

“Don’t go faster. And watch the road.”

Tsukishima opened his eyes to see Bokuto turn forward with a pout on his face. He opened his mouth, probably to continue arguing, but the raven sitting on the passenger seat turned on the radio, effectively ending the conversation. Bless his soul, Tsukishima thought as he once again began to hope that he’ll survive this day. Turned out he judged his chances too quickly.

“Your hand is still pretty cold” Kuroo’s voice was barely audible over the soft music. Tsukishima glanced at him confused, before he _felt_ it, and looked down between them just to confirm that, yes, he was indeed holding the other’s hand. He must’ve gripped it instinctively earlier, when they almost crashed into the car in front of them, and it seemed the raven didn’t really mind it, he even rubbed the cold fingers gently with his thumb. Tsukishima was sure his face turned bright red as he suddenly pulled away his hand to rest it in his lap instead, playing nervously with a button of his coat. “Uh, yeah… sorry…”

There was a beat of surprised silence, then he saw Kuroo’s hand curl into a fist from the corner of his eye, and heard him practically sigh an “It’s okay.”

Maybe it was just him, but maybe the atmosphere really turned heavy and awkward after that. Bokuto still pouted and stole angry glances towards Akaashi, huffing occasionally but not saying a word. The raven pretended not to notice the other’s restlessness, though he began to become pretty annoyed with it. He didn’t like when Bokuto acted like this because of him, because then he couldn’t cheer him up or calm him down without taking back his own words. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to do that. And if this silent war of wills wasn’t enough, there were the two other guys on the backseat surrounded by sheer embarrassment, fighting their own battles – though not against each other, but with themselves.

Tsukishima just couldn’t wrap his mind around this Kuroo guy. Okay, he was definitely good-looking, even his terrible hairdo worked somehow, and he had warm hands. Apparently he was kind enough to ask his friends to give a stranger a lift. He had idiotic tendencies but also a sense of humour. A person one would probably call a good date. He was nothing like Tsukishima and there was no chance he would be interested in the blond.

Right?

So why did Tsukishima feel that maybe he was? Because the raven didn’t stopped talking to him after the first cold answer? Because of the hug? Because he didn’t leave him out in the cold alone? Because he seemed to want to hold his hand a little longer?

If anything, Tsukishima was good at overthinking. He knew it, so he just shut down his thoughts with simply deciding that it was stupid. Kuroo was just kind, and extroverted, and didn’t mind physical contact.

That’s all.

He forced himself to concentrate to the city lights outside the window instead, but it was hard to ignore the growing tension in the car. It was like a rubber band pulled way too far – he waited for it to snap. It wasn’t a question that it would, sooner or later.

“Akhaaaaaasheeee…” Bokuto reached for the raven, but he quickly pushed the hand away.

“Hold the wheel with both hands, Bokuto.”

“But Akaashi, I’m dying!!” despite his words he grabbed the wheel again, though his face mirrored immense suffering. Eventually, Akaashi let out a deep sigh, then lifted his hand to Bokuto’s shoulder. After rubbing it gently and lovingly, he caressed his cheek and jawline too, and finally ran his fingers through the two-toned hair. He kept massaging his nape, occasionally twisting the stray locks around his fingers. Bokuto visibly relaxed, practically melted into his seat, and a lazy, content smile appeared on his face.

Tsukishima watched them from the periphery of his vision, and realization stuck him. Those two were a couple.

 “Disgusting” he heard Kuroo say, but when he looked at the male he saw that he also wore a soft, kind expression on his face. Then those warm amber eyes were directed at him, and Kuroo leaned closer to Tsukishima, which caused the blonde’s heart do weird things in his chest. “You too think they’re disgusting, right? Right?” He didn’t even try to hide the mischief in his voice, making it obvious he was just joking around. It was so childish, but there was still something that prompted Tsukishima to play along with it, despite himself, despite his usual reserved self. Before he knew it he already lifted one hand to gently pat Kuroo’s cheek.

“Jealousy is a terrible disease, I hope you get well soon.”

After a quiet moment Bokuto whistled and a surprised chuckle erupted from Akaashi. Kuroo slowly pulled back to lean towards his friends instead, eyes – wide with faked shock – never leaving Tsukishima’s face.

“Guys, I think he sassed me” he said, but he didn’t sound offended at all, more like amused and kind of impressed. Tsukishima slightly shook his head with a tiny smile playing around his lips. This man was such a child.

“No shit.”

“You goddamn right he did!”

Kuroo faced forwards, still pretending being hurt, and practically pressed himself between the two front seats, looking from one of his friends to the other.

“You aren’t going to protect me?”

“Bro, you know I’m not the one to hold a grudge, but you literally called us disgusting a minute ago. That’s karma, man. Karma” Bokuto laughed. Ah, friendship. Kuroo’s face resembled an eternally sad kitten as he clutched his coat over his heart, muttering a broken “dude”. But when Akaashi sighed, his expression lit up with hope. He got let down again though.

“You see, Kuroo-san, you insisted giving this man a lift in the first place. You have no right to complain, if the consequences of your actions come to bite in your ass.”

The messy-haired male finally sat back onto his seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I can’t believe you guys. This is the greatest disappointment in my life.” However, the grin on his face didn’t match his words.

“On a second thought” Bokuto said, “maybe he was aiming for that.” His lips curled into a smirk as he winked at Akaashi. Seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes, he added: “Being bitten in the ass by Glasses-kun. If you know what I mean.” He even wiggled his eyebrows.

Tsukishima didn’t know how to react, or if he should react in the first place. A part of him wanted to laugh out loud, another just roll his eyes and maybe facepalm, and another sink into the seat and disappear. He already felt his face heat up with embarrassment, though he didn’t even understand why he was embarrassed. This turned even worse, when Akaashi simply said, “Oh. You must be right.”

“Holy hell, Bo, just… just concentrate on driving, will you?” Kuroo hid his face behind his hands. “I did not, by the way. Just who do you think I am? Seriously, I’m so done with you guys. Okay, I act like a dick sometimes, but I did not deserve this. We’re supposed to be friends.” He was obviously trying to hide his own embarrassment behind rambling, with little success. Finally, he peeked at Tsukishima between his fingers. “I apologize for their behaviour. I swear, they have better moments, I guess they’re just tired right now. We’re totally normal guys most of the time.”

The part of Tsukishima that wanted to laugh won, stunning Kuroo to silence. He pressed his palm against his mouth to supress the noises of joy erupting, but it was useless. It took him a few minutes and several deep breaths to calm down. Now he was feeling even more awkward than before, so he opted for staring out of the window again, still trying to fight back a grin. He couldn’t help it, Kuroo just looked so lost and adorable.

“I’ve just been laughed at. This is the cherry on the top I guess.”

“I’m so sorry” the remainders of laughter in his voice didn’t make Tsukishima sound sorry at all. He looked at Kuroo who was looking back at him surprisingly fondly.

“Nah, at this point it doesn’t even matter to my poor soul or self-esteem. At least you have a nice laugh.” He playfully bumped his knee against Tsukishima’s, who was rightfully afraid of his heart exploding. The ‘butterflies in the stomach’ expression was terribly accurate, he found out.

Fortunately, Akaashi saved him by pointing out that they were at the railway station and asking where they should put Tsukishima out. After he told them that anywhere around here was fine, Bokuto pulled into an empty parking space with a sudden move. Tsukishima undid his seatbelt and prepared himself for the cold once again, before turning to the three other men in the car.

“Thank you for everything. And try to get home in one piece.”

“Don’t worry, I have everything under control” Bokuto gave him a thumbs up and a big grin. Akaashi patted his shoulder and said “Sure you do”, then turned to Tsukishima. “The same goes to you. Is it really alright here?”

“Yes, it’s just a five minute walk. Right after the corner.”

The raven nodded. Tsukishima looked at Kuroo, who smiled back at him.

“Good night.”

“… good night.”

Tsukishima climbed out right into the arms of freezing temperatures. After a quick last wave, he shut the door behind himself and began to walk down the sidewalk in a quick pace, leaving the white car behind. He felt kind of empty, which wasn’t unusual for him, he realized, it was just more prominent now. He wanted to say he didn’t know why, but he wasn’t good at lying, not even to himself.

But why would have Kuroo said anything besides a simple ‘good night’?

Tsukishima rather concentrated of the sensation of his ears slowly turning to ice. Emotions were something he wasn’t good with, so he just ignored them until they passed. Give him a few days, and he won’t even remember the raven’s name.

“Hey! Hey, wait!”

Tsukishima stopped and turned back to see the man in question jogging after him.

“Did I leave something in the car?” he asked while checking his pockets for his belongings. Kuroo shook his head as he caught up to him.

“No, no, just Bokuto refused to leave without… Well, it’s not only because of this, I’d also like to know… I mean…” he took a deep breath from the cold air, collecting his thoughts. Tsukishima waited, anticipation and a weird kind of fear gripping his chest. Finally, Kuroo looked him in the eye confidently, whit the lazy smile on place and stuck out his hand. “I guess you already know it, but I’m Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsuro.”

“Tsukishima Kei” the blond accepted the handshake. Of course he did, he craved any kind of warmth at that moment, but it wasn’t really just that. He couldn’t fool anybody. Kuroo didn’t release his hand, and this time he didn’t pull it away either. The butterflies were back, filling the emptiness.

“So, Tsukishima-kun, can I get your number?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! If you feel like, please share your opinion with me!


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